Watching NFL football games on your phone used to be mainly limited to Verizon customers. Soon anyone will be able to watch football games on the go for free on Yahoo's app, now that Verizon owns Yahoo.

But people who want to watch football through online-TV services like Sling will have more problems. An NFL game on ESPN will still be blocked on the Sling app on a phone — and starting next season, on tablets, too. Verizon apps will have the exclusive rights on phones and tablets.

Verizon bought Yahoo in June and is trying to build a digital ad business to rival Facebook and Google. Verizon's multi-year deal with the NFL takes effect in January. Playoffs will stream on Yahoo, Verizon's app go90 and the NFL's own app.